Kramer Beams over O-Line Play Saturday
4/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
After what he called three sleepless nights spent worrying about his patchwork offensive line,Montana State's head football coach witnessed a stirring performance on Saturday afternoonin Billings' Daylis Stadium.
The fact that our offensive line was able to at least function against the best defensive line inthe Big Sky Conference overshadowed anything else that happened out there (Saturday),Kramer said. I haven't been able to sleep for worrying about this, but those guys playedgreat.
Montana State's offensive line entered the scrimmage with one returning healthy starter,All-America tackle Brent Swaggert. Swaggert, though, has played primarily guard and centerin the last week, while true freshmen Joe Hirst, Demola Obadina, and Garrin Brewton and
sophomore Zach Wolf (who lost his redshirt season for playing nine plays in last November's
playoff game at McNeese State) have played with the first unit.
I'm most proud of Joe, Demola, Zach, and Garrin, Kramer said. They were thrown into an
incredibly uphill situation, and really responded. It's the first spring for those guys, and they're
going against a veteran, quality defensive front that really knows what it's doing.
Kramer said the experience level of the players in question makes the situation even more
noteworthy. Demola had never played football before last fall, Garrin played only one year of
high school football, and Zach played eight-man football in high school.
In addition, with Swaggert moving inside for the time, tight end Dusty Daws has moved to
tackle to help out. Dusty has never had more than five reps in any scrimmage or game, and he
played almost every snap today, Kramer said. His effort was outstanding.
The Bobcats offensive line has been plagued by injuries since late last season. Projectedstarters Mataio Toilolo (knee), Nic Stevenson (shoulder), and Jeff Bolton (shoulder) are eachrecovering from off-season surgeries. Additionally, junior college transfer Rory Canfield hadshoulder surgery this winter. Those players and three incoming JC transfers join the ranks tobolster the team's O-line fortunes in August.
But until then, Kramer is happy with his unsung heroes. These guys are doing great, and I'mexcited about the progress they'll continue to make this spring.
The fact that our offensive line was able to at least function against the best defensive line inthe Big Sky Conference overshadowed anything else that happened out there (Saturday),Kramer said. I haven't been able to sleep for worrying about this, but those guys playedgreat.
Montana State's offensive line entered the scrimmage with one returning healthy starter,All-America tackle Brent Swaggert. Swaggert, though, has played primarily guard and centerin the last week, while true freshmen Joe Hirst, Demola Obadina, and Garrin Brewton and
sophomore Zach Wolf (who lost his redshirt season for playing nine plays in last November's
playoff game at McNeese State) have played with the first unit.
I'm most proud of Joe, Demola, Zach, and Garrin, Kramer said. They were thrown into an
incredibly uphill situation, and really responded. It's the first spring for those guys, and they're
going against a veteran, quality defensive front that really knows what it's doing.
Kramer said the experience level of the players in question makes the situation even more
noteworthy. Demola had never played football before last fall, Garrin played only one year of
high school football, and Zach played eight-man football in high school.
In addition, with Swaggert moving inside for the time, tight end Dusty Daws has moved to
tackle to help out. Dusty has never had more than five reps in any scrimmage or game, and he
played almost every snap today, Kramer said. His effort was outstanding.
The Bobcats offensive line has been plagued by injuries since late last season. Projectedstarters Mataio Toilolo (knee), Nic Stevenson (shoulder), and Jeff Bolton (shoulder) are eachrecovering from off-season surgeries. Additionally, junior college transfer Rory Canfield hadshoulder surgery this winter. Those players and three incoming JC transfers join the ranks tobolster the team's O-line fortunes in August.
But until then, Kramer is happy with his unsung heroes. These guys are doing great, and I'mexcited about the progress they'll continue to make this spring.
Wednesday, August 19
Wednesday, June 10
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
